Money for the adjustment of teachers’ salaries and more funds for refugees – the black-green NRW government is redeeming the first election promises with its supplementary budget. That’s not enough for the opposition.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament wants to pass the supplementary budget of around 900 million euros presented by the black-green coalition today.
With the additional funds, the government wants to fulfill the first promises made in the black-green coalition agreement. With the addendum, money is made available for entry into the same initial salary for teachers, climate protection, security, flood protection and the care of refugees from the Ukraine. The state government wants to provide more than 570 million euros in the current year for refugees from Ukraine alone.
1,000 new teaching posts are to be set up, specifically for teaching children and young people from Ukraine. In addition, more than 500 new jobs will be created, 54 of them in the ministerial area due to the formation of a new government after the state elections in May.
Thanks to higher tax revenues, the country’s financial leeway has increased. The state budget for 2022 is to grow by almost 900 million to a good 88.4 billion euros with the supplement.
The SPD opposition is demanding its own relief program from the state government because of rising prices and energy costs. The FDP is demanding funds to avert a wave of bankruptcies and to secure municipalities and the social infrastructure of hospitals, care facilities and daycare centers.
Following the vote on the supplementary budget, the members of parliament will debate the federal government’s planned citizens’ allowance for January 1, 2023 at the request of the SPD. This is intended to replace the previous Hartz IV basic security.
